The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to begin on July 26th at 17:30 UTC, with an impressive lineup of 110 heads of state and government from around the globe, including a dozen African leaders.
While the Olympics officially commenced on July 24, the grand opening ceremony will mark a highly anticipated event, drawing significant international attention. Several African leaders have already arrived in Paris, participating in preliminary events such as the “Sport for Sustainable Development” summit held at the Carrousel du Louvre on Thursday afternoon. Notable attendees include Mauritania’s Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, the current Chair of the African Union, and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame. The summit will conclude with a speech by Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, as Dakar is set to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2026.
Following this summit, these African leaders will attend a gala event at the Louvre, hosted by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to hold informal bilateral meetings with some of these African heads of state. While the specifics of these meetings remain undisclosed, it is confirmed that Djibouti’s Ismaïl Omar Guelleh had already met with Macron on Wednesday. During this meeting, the two leaders renewed the decade-long defense partnership between their countries.
All these dignitaries will gather for the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, an event anticipated to captivate over a billion viewers worldwide.
Cameroonian President Paul Biya and his wife Chantal are among those who have already arrived in Paris. They will be joined by eleven other African heads of state, including Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé, the Central African Republic’s Faustin-Archange Touadéra, and Madagascar’s Andry Rajoelina.
However, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara will be absent from the ceremony. Their respective countries will still be represented at the event, with Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé attending on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire.